baolynn_onlinefandomcom-20200214-history
Magick
Introduction IRL * Sicariths and Nokiariths could be compared to Harry Potter's wizards and muggles and Mortal Instruments' mundanes and non-mundanes since I know those are concepts many of us can understand and can compare to. If you can't, then you are a sad sack of sadness. * It's weird because in all other universes it's the non-magick people being superior, whereas the magick people aren't. I loved the fact that I turned that trope on its head. With all the scenarios I'm imagining, it'll probably make people realize practical things are pretty cool after all. * Realistically and from a scientific perspective, magick could exist due to a common ancestor that evolved the ability to harness a second form of energy, or no energy at all, that allows them to manipulate atoms. These atoms would somehow be triggered by the neurological system of that being or by a chemical that the being can release to bend the atoms to their will. Although we find the idea of powers to be spectacular, it'd be annulled by the fact that it has no value to survivability and would never evolve because such chemicals don't exist. Not to mention how complex this system would require to be. And no, I'm not overthinking it. It's just an interesting concept to toy with. * Teleporting is a paradox, as no one object can exist partially or wholly in two places at once. The atoms would also potentially be scrambled, as they need to be in an immaculately specific order and place. By having teleporters open rifts into the astral plane, they're not atomizing themselves. So it's more like boarding a ghostly airplane. ** It was discovered that an atom can exist in two places at once, but that's a singular atom. The typical 154lb/70kg human is composed of 7*1027 atoms. That's seven octillion, a seven followed by twenty-seven zeros. In Baolynn Magick is a wondrous concept, except it's more than that here. It's a way of life, a simple fact that is difficult to explain. Kessate is a rare, supercharged crystal that forms under high heat deep underground. Its appearance is similar to selenite but blue. The stronger the crystal, the deeper the blue. Its liquid form is known as mana and is created by a meargen. Carbon naturally occurs, but is found in the human body. Same concept. This liquid form is weak compared to its solid form. However, this is good as it can be harnessed like a biological energy. Those that can are known as Sicariths (sick-uh-rihths), those that can't, Nokiariths (no-k-eye-uh-rihths). Sicariths are born with meargens, a small organ attached to the heart. It converts pantothenic acid into mana, then gets into the bloodstream where it supercharges the neurons. It also causes the blood to glitter. Many races naturally have abilities, which are embedded in their meargens like a biological grimoire (see Items). For example, if you take a saccitor's meargen, you can use it to turn invisible. A more aesthetically pleasing way to go about this is to boil the meargen, soak a piece of jewellery in it, and transfer the properties of the meargen to the jewellery. Historically, many saccitors have been gutted and left for dead for this reason. Stamina depravity feels hot, while mana depravity feels cold. A stamina overload manifests as fidgeting, while a mana overload manifests as a state of torpor and dizziness. The meargen can only convert so much pantothenic acid at once, resulting in an overload of the acid that causes nausea, heartburn, and diarrhea. In extreme stamina depravity, an individual will collapse and pass out. In an extreme mana depravity, the feet will begin to tingle since there's no more pantothenic acid to convert and a meargen will consume nutrients from the blood to sustain itself. This is normal compared to other organs, but the meargen is unable to properly consume other nutrients, so it uses more blood than it should. Excessive blood loss results in losing consciousness or death. In a stamina overload, an individual may have the urge to dance or do something active. In a mana overload, an individual has the chance to combust. Many mages (see Classes/Terms/Titles) across history have committed suicide this way, as upsetting as it is to admit. Nokiariths are born without meargens. While the usage of mediators (see Items) amongst Sicariths is optional, it's mandatory among Nokiariths. Culture In general, Sicariths are seen as naturally superior to Nokiariths, like abled people versus disabled people. It's sad, but it's how it is. This imbalance is so significant that Nokiarith children get bullied for not being magick, which is where terms like 'wizard' and 'magician' (see Classes/Terms/Titles) come into play. All schools require you to take a basic class for petramancy, vetamancy, ignamancy, and aquamancy regardless of your Sicarith or Nokiarith status. A basic understanding weeds out fear and mistrust. As they're taught in the second tier of schooling, they're required for more advanced classes. This helps students find what house suits them best. You may like fire magick, but you may find air magick to come more naturally to you. It's common for people to master one element, while knowing one or two more. Mastering more than one element is edging on archmage (see Classes/Terms/Titles) status. Classes/Terms/Titles More detailed versions of the five classes are here. Houses Formal training allows you to control the air above you, shake the earth below you, bend the water around you, tame the fire within you, and guide the arcane you breathe. -Introduction To Magick by Shōuta Kaliiju, page 1 Magick in its purest form has no intent, no inherent alignment. Using magick doesn't make you a villain and neither does abstaining from it make you a hero. Despite this, it can still be measured by positive or negative intentions. Positive intentions are known as light, white, and right hand magick, while negative is known as dark, black, and left hand magick. Given the diversity of its nature, it has been divided into six houses: terramancy, zephyrmancy, pyromancy, hydromancy, pneumamancy (new-ma-man-see), and amalgamancy (uh-maul-guh-man-see). Earth, air, fire, water, arcane, and hybrid, respectively. While there are a large range of sub-houses, they're still considered their main house. For example, a botamancer is still considered a terramancer. Items imbued with a certain element are referred to as being ensorcelled, as enchantment is associated with conjuring (see Classes/Terms/Titles). Terramancy (7) Elements related to earth and the ground. Represented by green and a gnome. The masculine form of terramancer is druid, while the feminine form is druidess. *'Plants/Botamancy' (bot-uh-man-sea): Botamancers can speed up the growth of living plants, coax plants out of the ground to fight for them, and can destroy flora. *'Origami/Atrachimancy' (ah-trah-chih-man-see): Atrachimancers can control materials made of dead plant matter. Atrachimancy is most commonly used to control paper for origami, the art of paper folding. It's more of a recreational magick than a battle ready one. *'Metal/Quamumancy' (quah-muh-man-sea): Quamumancers can bend metal, rip armor off of their opponents, and create intricate creations for decoration or for battle mates. *'Neon/Chenomancy' (kee-no-man-sea): Chenomancers can suck the color out of objects, create beautiful artistry, and can use their magick color to form companions or even hoverboards. I see this element being popular with artists. *'Rocks/Petramancy' (peh-truh-man-sea): Petramancers can rip stone from the ground, bend it to their will, create golems from clay within an instant, and can create stone armor upon themselves. *'Acid/Diruemancy' (die-rue-man-sea): Diruemancers can erode objects, rust metal, blast their foes with green flesh-melting liquid, and drain water of acidity. *'Sand/Harenmancy' (hair-en-man-sea): Harenmancers can control glass, mirrors, sandstone, and any other objects made of sand. Zephyrmancy (4) Elements related to the air and the sky. Represented by yellow and a faerie. The masculine form of zephyrmancer is caelad, while the feminine form is caelass. *'Electricity/Trydamancy' (try-duh-man-sea): Trydamancers can be shocking, once you first meet them. They can disrupt the balance of atoms to cause electricity. In more modern times, they can drain power and tamper with electronics. *'Wind/Ventamancy' (ven-tuh-man-sea): Ventamancers can bend the air to be moving or still, blow objects with powerful blasts, create tornadoes, and can suck the oxygen out of your lungs. *'Sound/Ichomancy' (eye-ko-man-sea): Ichomancers can play tunes without instruments, put songs into people's heads to distract, calm, or tamper. They can also use their power to send Morse Code-like signals to one another. I see this element being popular with musicians. *'Smoke/Fumamancy '(foo-mah-man-sea): Fumamancers can manipulate gases, like smoke and ash. * Magnet/Netismusmancy (neh-tiz-muss-man-sea): Netismusmancers are underappreciated. They can control the magnetic field and magnets. Pyromancy (3) Elements relating to fire and heat. Represented by red and a salamander. The masculine form of pyromancer is arder, while the feminine form is arderess. *'Lava & magma/Tigmenomancy' (tig-men-oh-man-sea): Tigmenomancers can call forth lava and can create golems that appear to melt like hot wax. It's a general rule of thumb not to call forth anything unless you're in Valaru. *'Blaze/Ignamancy' (ig-nuh-man-sea): Ignamancers can create fire within their own hands, surround themselves within a fiery bubble, and use their own breath to burn things like a fire dragon. *'Light/Solamancy' (so-luh-man-see): Aliased sundancing, mages of this element are nicknamed sundancers. Solamancers can manipulate light to their will to create beings of light, flashing it in the eyes of their enemies, using it as a highlighter, and even fill rooms full of light. Hydromancy (5) Elements related to water and coldness. Represented by blue and a mer. The masculine form of hydromancer is murhdon, while the feminine form is murhdonna. *'Water/Aquamancy' (ah-quah-man-sea): Aquamancers can use water to their advantage, creating clouds, precipitation, condensation, tsunamis, bubbles, evaporate water, and can move water to create air pockets when underwater. *'Ice/Glacimancy' (glay-sia-man-sea): Glaciamancers can freeze water, cast enemies in a frosty prison, blast areas with slippery goodness, and can use their power like a hoverboard. *'Blood/Hematomancy' (he-muh-toe-man-sea): Considered a forbidden element in early eras, hematomancers control the water inside of your body, draining and coagulating your blood. Healers in the modern era are the only ones to know hematomancy for blood transfusions and to stop bleeding. *'Shadow/Skiamancy' (skee-uh-man-sea): Aliased shadowdancing, mages of this element are nicknamed shadowdancers. Skiamancers can manipulate shadows to their will, fill a room full of darkness, and create beings of shadow. *'Ink/Mentomancy' (men-toe-man-sea): Mentomancers can control ink and is popular among writers. Pneumamancy (5) Elements related to the astral plane and elements unable to be categorized into any other house. Represented by purple and a nephalem. Arcane mages are unique in the sense that there's two ways to refer to them: light or dark. If you're both, specification isn't required. The masculine form for a light pneumamancer is warlock, while the feminine form is witch. The masculine form for a dark pneumamancer is sorcerer, while the feminine form is sorceress. *'Telepathy/Loqimancy' (lo-quee-man-sea): Loqimancers can plant images, messages, and sounds into others' minds, can feed someone else's thoughts into their own mind without interfering the other person, can block their own mind from others, and have psychological power over others. Loqimancy is common among animal lovers that can speak Beslik, as fauna minds are weak, making them easy to control. *'Space/Stellamancy' (stell-uh-man-sea): Space, asteroids, stars, yeah, that sort of magick. Stellamancers can can see the stars without a telescope, control planets, cause eclipses, make accurate predictions about planetary alignment, can control gravity, and magnetic fields. **Corrupt astral magick is exceptionally dangerous and is most often referred to as void. When in a physical form, it's described to have a vantablack color with the properties of all states. It's oobleck with a tar-like weight and is made of plasma that omits a toxic, violet-colored gas. Because of this, it's highly suggested to not touch or breathe it in. The only known beings to be made of this wretched substance are voidwights. *'Time/Chronomancy' (kro-no-man-sea) Chronomancers can change the time of day, know what time it is exactly without a clock, and can see the past and future of a specific area without being able to affect it. *'Death/Necromancy' (neh-kro-man-sea): Necromancers can manipulate dead fauna matter like entire corpses regardless of degradation, wax, oil, etc. They can also control souls and spirits. Specifically, they can take/give souls/spirits from/to bodies. Amalgamancy (3) Elements that are combinations of others. Some mages gravitate towards calling themselves amalgamancers due to their use of multiple houses and a lack of a fondness for any particular one. Represented by orange and a chimera. The masculine form of amalgamancer is yivrid, while the feminine form is yvridette. Amalgamancy is not an officially recognized house by many magick schools because of its rarity and complexity, though some do teach classes for it. * Storms/Tempestmancy (tem-pest-man-sea): Tempestmancers have to first master aquamancy, trydamancy, and ventamancy. * Electronics/Nerismancy (nair-is-man-sea): Nerismancers have to first master trydamancy and quamumancy. * Plague/Fetomormancy (feh-toe-moor-man-sea): Fetormormancers have to first master hematomancy, necromancy, and diruemancy. They can create deteriorated zombies from living people, spread illness, and can physically control people using their blood. Hedge Hedge magick is not any form of house or element, but its own form of magick. Hedge mages commonly don't have formal training and as such, tend to be self-taught. These mages are special in the fact that they develop their own magick unique to the individual. Magick governments fear hedge mages because they have higher chances to become corrupt, along with their magick. Spells How Spells Work Spells may be casted from the user in the present, while runes are spells preset into an object for future use, like scrolls, stones, or even one's own body. Drawing runes into objects can be done with any ink, but non-magick inks need to be activated first. Mixing pixie dust (see Alchemy & Crafting, fauna) into the ink relinquishes the need to be activated and will keep the spell active until the ink fades too badly. This type of ink is affectionately named pixink and faepen. On your own body, runes creates contracture scars after they've been used, regardless of the rune's element type. Runes can be triggered like a trap or they can be triggered by hand using the activation spell. There are three types of ways to cast; by hand like sign language, by word, or by drawings. * Drawing spells are ideal for runes, visual learners, and photographic memories. * Hand spells are easy for quick situations because of muscle memory, and are ideal for physical/kinesthetic learners. * Word spells are more common among archmages because saying them in your head keeps them discreet and are ideal for audio learners. Because of this, some Nokiariths believe that archmages can kill you with just a glare. So you know how to cast, but not where it'll cast from. For example, you cast a fire spell via signing and you don't want it to come from your hands. You have to feel its location. You have to feel it for the fire to burst from your mouth, your wand, any mediator in general, a certain spot on the ground. Trivia * The main reason for having three ways to cast is because I see magick being like math. Some of it is simple, some complex. More often than not there's only one correct way to do something and then there's multiple correct ways to do something else. I also like having this multi-use system due to its non-ableist and varied learning nature. If you're deaf/a mute, you can still draw/sign. If you're bad at memorizing names, but you recognize symbols easier, then you can draw/sign, y'know? * Hand casting was mainly inspired by The Last Airbender because I'm a dweeb. Mediators Nokiariths need mediators to be able to cast magick, as long as it's within their touch of course. Your skin can adsorb the mediating object's mana and allow you to cast like a Sicarith could. It's kinda like using a straw versus drinking directly from the cup. Mediators for Sicariths are optional, but are highly suggested, as the mediator extends how much mana you can consume at once, like a large magazine on a gun. It also improves your precision, if you're not an experienced mage. Types of mediators include: * Raw or refined gems and crystals (Commonly put into weapons/tools and worn as jewelry) * Jewelry * Staves * Wands (Most common) * Weapons * Tools * Masks (Research masks around the world. It's amazing.) * Fetishes (Voodoo) List Of Spells There's three different tiers of magick; tier one is weak, tier two is average, and tier three is strong. They're abbreviated as T1, for example. This is the minimum requirement needed to cast that spell, as magick strength relates to how long you can cast the spell for and how much mana it takes. * Spells with their names crossed out are forbidden by law and/or by cultural taboo. * Spells that take control of others are referred to as charms. * Spells that cause negative effects are referred to as curses. "Hex" means six. T1 * Avizo (ah-vee-zoah): Shrink * Claudek (claw-deck): Un/locks doors, windows, chests, padlocks, lockers, etc. * Defeirm (deh-fae-rm): Used to protect objects from being casted on. For example, if someone kept being pranked by having their books randomly levitate, they'd cast this spell on the books to prevent further pranking. * Kalaigen (kah-lie-gen/kah-lay-gen): Growth. Can be used to grow plants faster or in some cases, even body parts. * Muicla (mew-ihs-luh): A tracker. For example, if you place this spell upon a horse, then on a map with a mental image of that horse, you can visually know where that horse is in real time. * Psydevitas (sigh-dev-ih-tas): Illusion spell commonly used by conjurists. The stronger the mage, the better and more complex the illusion may be. * Rufeirm (rue-fae-rm): Used to remove protected objects to be able to be casted on again. Only the person that casted defeirm in the first place can use rufeirm. * Shakateb (shah-kuh-tehb): Levitation and the ability to move objects. From a Gaian perspective, it could be considered psychokinesis. * Tarecolo (tear-ey-coah-low): Changes the color of the target. * '-Tirost' (tier-ost): Elemental spell blast. For the spoken spell, you add the prefix of what element you wish to use. For example, diruetirost is an acid blasting spell. * Tukdurat (tuck-durr-at): Timer. It's a spell that's casted onto targets to add a custom timer to the next spell casted on it. For example, if you used this spell on your hair, then tarecolo, your hair would only be a different color for a certain amount of time before returning to its previous color. * Umkusro (um-kuss-row): A defensive barrier that blocks whatever the caster desires. The size and strength vary on levels. Lesser levels are used as umbrellas. T2 * Atteivo (uh-tay-voe): It enlarges your iris and pupil to allow for night vision, but makes you hyperopic, meaning nearby objects are blurry. * Ayagapi (ay-uh-gah-pee): Controls the emotions of another being; commonly called the love spell since that's what it's used for the most. * Bendevor (ben-deh-vor): It creates a bubble of oxygen around your head. * Bositare (boas-ih-tear): Transformation; changing one object into another. * Hydrodevor (high-drow-deh-vor): It creates a bubble of water on your gills. * Inurae (in-er-ae): Used to stop motion safely, like if someone fell from the top of a building, this spell would slow them down since complete, immediate stops are dangerous. It also help to avoid vertigo. * O'kalau (o-kuh-lao): Reveals invisible objects, hidden rune traps, and shapeshifters' true forms. * Theargé (thee-er-gay): Activation spell used to trigger runes. * Veinequo (vei-neh-quo): It takes raw materials and conducts them. For example, an aquamancer could bend a puddle of water to their will without using any mana. T3 * Fylokato (figh-lo-kato): Genderbending activation. * Meozhemere (mayo-zhay-mere): Used to summon your totem to protect you. It's more effective when you have a good relationship with your totem. * Ollaotsaneo (o-lao-saneo): Shapeshift activation. * Pericorul (per-ih-cor-rull): Invisibility. You're still touchable and have weight. * Periconapa '''(per-ih-con-ah-puh): It makes the target invisible, untouchable, and weightless, like a ghost. Commonly used by blackclaws on their wings so they appear gone to improve mobility and reduce the amount of space that they take up in close quarters, but they also can't fly. * '''Pupatachu (pup-a-tah-chu): Allows for complete physical control over another being. * Tixulf (ticks-ulf): Rift creating spell. You cast it as you draw the shape of the rift for teleporting or chronoporting. Whichever depends on where you tell the rift you need to be and when. List Of Rituals *'Lirask' (leer-ask): You capture a spirit in a specter, then conjoin the spirit with the person desiring it. Once this ritual is complete, you use ollaotsaneo to shift into the spirit. For example, if you conjoined with a cat spirit, then the activation spell would turn you into a cat. *'Sorschinagh' (soar-shh-ih-nog): Known as ensorcellation in commonplace, this spell transfers properties or imbues properties into an object. Commonly, it is to imbue weaponry with elemental properties, like a fire sword or a lightning staff. There's several ways to go about this. ** Soak Method: You boil object A, remove it, cast, and soak object B in the water. This is a common ensorcell transfer in general. ** Smoke Method: You burn object A with object B above it, cast, and remove object A. This is typically used for perishables. ** Rub Method: You rub object A and object B together, cast, and dip them both in the dirt. This is typically used for weaponry. Alchemy & Crafting If you've ever played any fantasy game ever, this shouldn't be a new concept to you. Alchemy is, in its finest, the medieval forerunner to chemistry. Comparing it to cooking/baking with the intent of medical/chemical results may be a better way to format it. You mix ingredients together to make salves, potions, and the like. Rarity Levels * Common (white 50%) * Uncommon (green 25%) * Epic (blue 13%) * Rare (purple 9%) * Legendary (orange 3%) Types * Potion: Unspecific liquid item * Medicine: Healing item; shortened to med * Liquor: Drinkable item that causes psychological change in the body * Steroid: Enhancing item * Drug: Consumable item that causes psychological change in body * Grenade: Throwable, damage-causing item * Toxin: Consumable/touchable, damage-causing item. Essentially, if it bites you, it's venom. If you bite it, it's poison. * Infusion: Water based, delicate ingredients * Tincture: Alcohol based, keep for up to a year, time needed for preparation, highly concentrated, dilute * Syrup: Ingredients preserved in sugar solution * Poultice: Chopped plant material, compress * Fomentation: Clothes dipped in potions * Salve: Oil/fat based cream used for external application * Elixir: A potion made from two others * Tisane: Hot water based herbal extract; medicinal tea * Macerate: Cold water based plant infusion, requires up to twelve hours; soften a food item via liquid * Essential oils: Diluted extracts * Inhalation: Vapor from a potion Ingredients Flora * Cherrybomb tree: Wide, rough cherry red leaves and bark like a cherry blossom, they grow sweet, combustible fruit that tastes like cherries and pepper. * Crimrose flower: Black roses with heart shaped petals that "bleed" their nectar when they bloom and wilt. * Eukiha tree: With eucalyptus-like pink leaves, these trees are useful for minor healing. * Everfyre tree: They look like joshua trees, but have waxy fire resistant evergreen needles. They grow incendiary cones. * Fire orchid flower: * Glowing shrooms: Bioluminescent mushrooms. * Lavender: * Ligbiscus flower: Hibiscus-like flowers native to Venium, Czemalia with three lightning bolt pistils that zap low volts as a defense mechanism. * Mandragora root: * Marigolds: * Poppy seeds: * Widowberry bush: Dark purple bushes that grow poisonous berries with the appearance of a widow spider's abdomen. Fauna * Alicorn: Mana imbued keratin; unicorn horns and cerapter horns are made of this. * Bat hair: * [[Demons|'Blackclaw']]' eye:' * Chamegar eggs: * [[Cockatrices|'Cockatrice']]' claws:' * [[Cockatrices|'Cockatrice']]' venom:' * Dog tongue: * [[Draconians|'Draconian']]' bone meal:' * Firefly thorax: * Frog toe: * [[Hellhounds|'Hellhound']]' blood:' * Honey: * [[Leporids|'Jackalope']]' foot:' * [[Kappas|'Kappa']]' shell shards:' * [[Phoenixes|'Phoenix']]' feathers:' The feathers are useful for eternal fires. * [[Phoenixes|'Phoenix']]' tears:' The tears have major healing properties. * [[Pixies|'Pixie']]' dust:' Ground up pixie wings. * [[Salamanders|'Salamander']]' tail:' * Scarab wings: * [[Seafolk|'Siren']]' scales:' * [[Umbraeths|'Umbraeth']]' saliva:' * [[Vampires|'Vampiric']]' ash:' * [[Angels|'Whitewing']]' hair:' * Wolf hearts: Mineral * Charcoal: * Emberium: A precious ore made from draconian eggshells and bauxite. The ore glows orange and is used for armor. Spiritual * Ghost powder: Its main use is spirit ripping. You use too much and you turn yourself into a zombie. You use just enough and you can move your spirit into another vessel. It also makes a good incense. It's made by grinding up * Specter: When a being dies, their soul immediately leaves their body and phases into the astral plane a few moments after. The being's spirit will follow suit when the body reaches a certain degree of decay. The only way to collect either of them is via a specter. You make them by taking a vessel of any kind (jars, bags, boxes, etc) and essentially turn that vessel into a spiritual cage. Other Abilities Totems IRL Native American culture, everything is connected. Everyone and everything is linked between each other. Thus, people are connected to animals, to the earth, and to the sky. In Pagan religions and systems, a spirit animal, also known as a totem, is meant to be a representation of the traits and skills that you are supposed to learn or have always possessed. I'd also like to address this. In Baolynn, a totem is someone's spirit animal and spirit color, in simple terms. Totems are the spiritual embodiment of someone and mean everything. They represent what you are, what you were, or more often than not, what you'll become. You discover your totem when you discover yourself or come to a self revelation. They do not change. Some may discover their totem when they're thirteen, others at thirty-three. It's all down to you. Totems are represented by wooden effigies, usually on necklaces or small statues. The animals themselves appear as wispy, spiritual beings in a certain color. For example, Goatshanker's totem is a bright red bison. Familiars IRL, an animal familiar is a concept we're all accustomed to when speaking of witches. They're little black cats, warty toads, dirty rats, you know how it is. Some say they're demons, others say they're just animals. In Baolynn, a familiar is an animal with a small piece of your spirit, as you have a small piece of theirs. They're an extension of yourself and your closest friend. Some familiars are used as questers, turning them into spies, scavengers, messengers, whatever their master requires. The familiar can be any animal, though small, domestic beasts like cats, dogs, owls, toads, rats, snakes, etc are the most common. Evocation And Invocation An evocation ritual is the act of summoning an entity of any description, and the entity appears outside of the conjurer's body. Invocation is the opposite. An invocation ritual is where you summon an entity and the entity appears inside the conjurer's body, using them like a puppet to communicate. Most of the time, the conjurer is still fully conscious. When the entity has taken complete control, the conjurist is referred to as being enchanted or more modernly, possessed. That must suck though. Just imagine being an archdemon in the middle of dinner and you just suddenly poof into the middle of the forest to find some dweebish mage. You sigh with a groan because you're used to it. In hindsight, it wouldn't be all that funny, but to us, it certainly is. Conjurists are also able to summon illusions and objects out of thin air. OBE An out-of-body experience is one where your physical body is slipped into a coma-like state before safely ejecting your spirit while your physical body is still alive. There are two ways to do this; astrally and etherically. Both ways keep the spirit connected to the physical body via the Silver Cord and any harm done to your spirit will affect your real body, though not immediately. Astral projection teleports your spirit to the astral plane, while etheric projection just separates your spirit from your body, keeping you in the physical plane. Possession Possession is the state of having, owning, or controlling something. In this case, taking a body under your control by spiritually entering it. A possessed body is referred to as a vessel. Both living and dead may be possessed as long as there is enough physical mass to withstand the possession. Meaning, you can't possess a skeleton and start dancing. It would be classified a paltry zombie. Possession occurs like swimming; you can simply enter by will or accident. A spirit slips into a body. For a living host, this feels like a sudden kick to the chest and a plunge into icey water. For the possessor, whether the relationship be mutual or parasitic, this feels like taking a deep, fresh breath after being terribly ill. Fluid movement, functioning organs, easily passable in crowds, a well sought after meat suit. The only downside is that the host and possessor must share like two little kids fighting over a controller. When the host is in control, they hear the voice of their possessor in their head and visa versa. The possessor's will must weaken to allow the host to control or be overpowered by the host's stronger will, usual visa versa. As stated in Species & Afflictions, a corpse's soul leaves the body upon death, while the spirit remains until the body is either significantly degraded or manually removed. Possessing a corpse is slightly more difficult, as degradation must be considered. It feels like wearing tight clothes made of rough material. The body is more susceptible to undead diseases, which could potentially awaken the corpse's spirit if it wasn't removed. This is less like sibling rivalry and more like trying to take a duct tape roll from a large, four-legged roomba. Y'know, a dog that thinks you're playing. Except a possessor fighting with an awakened spirit is less playful, more rabid. Removing yourself simply requires ghost powder (see Alchemy & Crafting), but that tends to be difficult to aquire and to use when considering vessels. You need the possessor removed, not it plus the host. Entering may be like water, but it freezes over once you're plunged. Ghosts of all types search to possess what they consider the perfect meat suit for various reasons. Tol-gruns are the most common types of undead to possess as their bodies are usually past useable by the time they see sunlight once again. Shifting "Shifting is a difficult and rare ability, as it is the art of changing your shape, your state of being... Tis a shame therians are locked into only one." -The Autobiography Of A Therian by Guadalupe Escarra. As Miss Escarra stated, shifting is the ability to change your shape. Historically, the terms shapebending and formshifting have been used. Modernly, it is referred to as shapeshifting. To be able to shapeshift, you must know ollaotsaneo (o-lao-saneo), which is the activation spell, and have a spirit from the form you desire. Which, by the way, you need a specter (see Alchemy & Crafting) to be able to collect. For example, if you wanna shift into a racoon, you have to either A. kill it and capture its spirit or B. leave it alive and take its spirit, risking the chance for the racoon to catch an undead disease to cause damage. This is why it's considered taboo and occasionally unethical across many cultures. Once you have your racoon shift, it has to go somewhere when you're in your normal form. Normal, default, birth; many synonyms for the same thing. The raccoon spirit gets stored in your third eye, a spiritual eye that exists between your physical eyes. Sicarith or Nokiarith, everyone has one. A third eye shift, abbreviated as TES, is a shift that a being ends up with as a result of an affliction. Obviously not all afflictions have a TES. For example, ghouls and their true forms, therians and their true forms, etc. There is a second form of shifting that doesn't require spirits, however. Historically, the terms sexshifter, bodybending, and gendershifting (early 1800AR to mid 1900AR) have been used. Modernly, it's referred to as genderbending. To be able to genderbend, you must know fylokato (figh-lo-kato), which is the activation spell, and then find an inner peace. Every spirit holds masculine and feminine energies within them. One is dominant, while the other is recessive. Both may be dominant or recessive at once, and the dominant trait switching from time to time has been observed. Genderbenders hold the ability to tap into these energies to change their body unlike shapeshifting. Glamors Associated with loqimancy (see Elemental Houses, Pneumamancy), a glamor is a spell you cast on yourself so that all around you will see what you want them to. However, if someone touches you, they see and feel your real form. A glamor is much cheaper than actually shifting, as shifting requires a specter and the spirit (see Alchemy & Crafting for both) of the being you wish to turn into. It's commonly used by blackclaws and the like. Items Ambrosia A drink of the gods, ambrosia tastes like raspberry and red wine. It extends the lifespan of the drinker by one year per gulp. The true recipe is hidden among Fio'nagara's cookbook, although mana, phoenix tears, and dragon bonemeal have been rumored in its creation. Grimoires IRL, grimoires (grim-mwahs; it's French) are textbooks supposedly for magick purposes. They're made from various materials. The most notable grimoire, though fictional, is the Necronomicon. It appears in the stories of H.P. Lovecraft and his followers. In Baolynn, grimoires are magick textbooks used to instruct the reader how to cast certain spells or how to create certain potions. You can draw and write within the book without being able to activate any runes for safety purposes. Amulets IRL, amulets have been used as protective items for thousands of years. Early people lived in a world where strange and frightening things occurred that defied explanation at the time. Consequently, amulets were used to protect homes, families, and livestock. Amulets were originally natural items, such as an animal’s tooth or a semi-precious stone. However, you can choose anything like medals, knots, bells, keys, etc. Many police officers in early twentieth-century New York carried St. Jude medals with them for protection. In Baolynn, amulets are used as protective items, guarding against negative spirits and spells. Items like animal teeth, gems/rocks/crystals, bells, keys, jewelry, etc are all common amulets. Talismans IRL, talismans are believed to be spiritually/astrologically significant due to the fact they're intended to provide power, energy, and specific benefits. They're frequently made from stone, metal, or parchment as they can be inscribed with words or pictures to add additional power. Many talismans come from predatory animals because they're believed to endow the wearer with some of the qualities of the animal from which it came. In Baolynn, talismans are items with runes for long term use to provide specific benefits like fortune, strength, courage, speed, etc. Jewelry is commonly used, though shoes, accessories, bells, etc are also used. Dreamcatchers IRL, Dreamcatchers are often believed to have originated from the Ojibwa Chippewa Native American tribe. The Ojibwe word for dreamcatcher is asabikeshiinh (spider) in reference to the web loosely woven to cover the hoop. Ojibwe dreamcatchers were traditionally used as talismans to protect sleeping people, usually children, from bad dreams and nightmares. Native Americans believe that the night air is filled with dreams, both good and bad. When hung above the bed in a place where the morning sunlight can hit it, the dream catcher attracts and catches all sorts of dreams and thoughts into its webs. Good dreams pass through and gently slide down the feathers to comfort the sleeper below. Bad dreams, however, are caught up in its protective net and destroyed, burned up in daylight. In Baolynn, they're used in various cultures to ward away bad dreams and to gather good dreams. Infinity Bags Infinity bags would be considered hammerspace. They're usually cloth pouches, satchels, purses, etc. able to stretch quite widely to fit larger items within. It's common for boob owners to set their infinity portal to be between their boobs, so they can pull swords and stuff from it. It's actually quite entertaining. They work because they're connected to vaults in the astral plane. They're actually not infinite, but if your vault is large enough, they may just be. Psychaspheres IRL, the name originates from psychic and sphere. It's a more interesting name for a crystal ball. A psychasphere allows you to speak with the dead, see your cotiga, and is most commonly used in scrying. The knowledge to create such an object has been lost in the sands of time. Materials such as crystal, kessate (see Alchemy & Crafting, ingredients, minerals), water, and glass have all been known in the making of a psychasphere. Mana Guns Firearms specially crafted to handle mana imbued cartridges, simply called mana guns or glowshots, were common among the upper classes in Nokiarith societies during early eras. They were relatively expensive to use and make, but were extremely effective, especially since you could shoot different spells from different round types very quickly without any magickal knowledge. They weren't replaced with metal shooting guns until the Corsairean Era, which were much more effective to make, buy, and use. As noted by their glowshot alias, they do in fact partially glow. Dowsing Rods Dowsing rods are wishbone shaped rods that are ensorcelled to locate any objects you desire. T1 ensorcellations have 33% of properly functioning, but will always find gold. T2 has 66%, but will always find armor, weapons, and such. T3 has 99%, but will always find legendary items and buried treasure. Rifts Rifts are blatantly magickal in nature, but also difficult to cast. They require quite a sum of mana, even for a short while. You can cast them in various shapes, as all will work just the same. These rabbit holes come in two types: teleports and chronoports. Teleports are used for point A to point B in a millisecond. They're rarely used last moment, given how setting them up beforehand is much more advised. Chronoports are similar to teleports, except they can be placed in the past or future. These are considered taboo across nearly every culture. Tarot Cards These greater cards symbolize the mind. These lesser cards symbolize the hand. All thoughts and actions tend to be up to interpretation. IRL The word tarot is the French derivative of Italian tarrochi. Regardless of whether you pronounce it tear-ott or tear-oh, these cards are used for revealing events within the world. There are two types of tarot: major arcana and minor arcana. Arcana in of itself is the plural of arcanum. Unconscious projections are one reason why so many find value in tarot. Their pictures and patterns effectively tap into your head, creating a personal aspect of tarot. The cards themselves also contain a collective component because as mortals, we all have common needs and experiences. The cards' images capture these shared moments, making for consistent ways to lead them out into the open. Most mortals react to the cards in similar fashions, as they represent archetypes. Over time, tarot has evolved into the most basic patterns of mortal thoughts and emotions. *I've changed some major arcana to fit within Baolynnian lore. Mage was magician, oracle was high priestess, deity was heirophant, roulette was wheel of fortune, hangman was hanged man, and demon was devil. *Major arcana are aliased trump cards and greater arcana. *Minor arcana are aliased suit cards and lesser arcana. *The wand suit is aliased as batons, clubs, and staves. *The pentacle suit is aliased as coins, disks, rings, and diamonds. *The cup suit is aliased as chalices. *The four suits: wands, cups, swords, and pentacles are of Italio-Spanish origins. The hearts, clubs, spades, and diamonds are French. *I consider major arcana to be internal events, while others view it as universal events, feelings we all share. Likewise with minor arcana and external events. Major Arcana The twenty-two major arcana delegates internal events; the collective conscious of mortals. They're all numbered from zero to twenty-one to represent levels of enlightenment, so to speak. Everyone's journey of self-discovery finds their mental tarot to be in a different order. Minor Arcana The fifty-six minor arcana delegates external events; daily life and the details of the major arcana to it. Those fifty-six cards are divided into four suits with courts and numbers. Suits *Wands represent fire, making them the suit of creativity, action, and passion. They're associated with enthusiasm, adventure, risk-taking, and confidence. *Cups represent water, making them the suit of emotions, spirituality, and adaptability. They're associated with relationships and inner states. *Swords represent air, making them the suit of intellect, thought, and reasoning. They're associated with justice, truth, and morality, but disharmony and unhappiness as well. *Pentacles represents earth, making them the suit of practicality, safety, and material concerns. They're associated with prosperity, wealth, and beauty. Courts * .